Thursday, January 16, 2014

From Abducted Child to Woman Peacekeeper: The Remarkable Story of Poni Cirilo

This piece has been cross-posted from the Non-Violent Peace Force, an organisation that fosters dialogue among parties in conflict and provides a protective presence for threatened civilians..

Poni Cirilo sits attentively in her group while participating in a
four-day long Child Protection seminar at Nonviolent Peaceforce’s office
in Juba, South Sudan. Between the sessions she sneaks out of the
conference room to care for the infant child she has recently adopted.
The baby was orphaned when her mother, Poni’s cousin, died on a
treacherous trip down the Nile on a barge while attempting to return to
South Sudan after spending years as a refugee in Khartoum, Sudan.

When Poni was just seven years old, she and her two sisters were
abducted from their village in South Sudan. The girls were taken to the
town of Bor and her sisters were immediately distributed as wives. Poni
was kept in the chief’s home to grow up until she was ready to bear
children.

Two years later, she was given away as a wife and transferred to the
man’s village where she lived an isolated and solitary life. Poni soon
became pregnant but, because she was so young, she suffered serious
complications. She was taken to the hospital where she wanted to ask for
help, but was unable to explain her situation as she could not speak
the local language.

Poni delivered by cesarean section and had a beautiful baby boy. But
when her son was only three, her abductors took him away to work in a
cattle camp. Poni would never see him again.

South Sudan has a long history of inter-tribal child abduction and
trafficking, where children are sometimes used as slave labor or sold to
other tribes in exchange for cattle. It is a common practice for young
boys to be taken and put to work in the cattle camps to begin their
training to become cattle keepers.

Poni bore two more sons. But when her husband threatened to take her
second child, she decided to take the boys and flee. For five days she
navigated through unpopulated forest and bush until she eventually made
her way to Juba. She told her story to the police, who directed her to
the State Ministry of Culture and Social Development (MoCSD). They were
able to trace her family and Poni was finally reunited with her mother
in Juba.

The MoCSD referred Poni’s case to NP due to her vulnerability as a
single parent and returnee. But even after coming home Poni had not
escaped violence. She and her children endured daily verbal and
sometimes physical abuse from her alcoholic uncle who berated her for
returning from abduction and becoming a burden on him. Poni reported
that he threatened to kill her adopted baby and leave her by the
riverbank.

Poni’s story is not uncommon and is an example of the cycle of
victimization — how those affected by violent conflicts are often in
need of protection even after returning home and in times of relative
peace.

NP is doing all they can to prevent violence by NP Unarmed
Civilian Peacekeepers (UCPs) frequently do check- ups to ensure she and
her children are receiving the services and supplies they need. NP has
also connected Poni with social workers who provide regular counseling,
monitor the situation, and deliver milk, clothing, soap, and other items
collected from the MoCSD, UNICEF,
and NP staff. After the support she received, Poni is convinced of the
importance of peacekeepers like those at NP. She is currently undergoing
training and says that she intends to one day become a peacekeeper. It
is truly a remarkable story, going from abducted child and victim of
violent conflict, to becoming an emowered woman and protector of future
children.

As an unarmed, paid civilian peacekeeping force, Nonviolent Peaceforce fosters dialogue among parties in conflict and provides a
protective presence for threatened civilians. With headquarters in Brussels, NP peacekeeping teams are
presently deployed in the Philippines, in South Sudan, and the South
Caucasus.